The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-09-06
CANf NEAR FGSDERICK Cry. MD.,
Mutl july II. 1854

just as written: 3i
CANr NEAR FaSpERIcK CRY. MD,,,
July II, 1864. ! y
DEAR -: I will write you few lines,
knowing you will BIO very uneasy about
mo. lam very we'll at present, but tell
yon we have passed through many trying
rcenes slnca lant wrote to you. Since
then have been In some four battles, and
have, through the blea,ing Of God, crcaped
unhurs. On tho 8 Of July we were at.
tackled BY heavy force OF rebels at
Darkesville, in the Shenandoah Valley,
There were but about 500 Of ug, We
were on picket, yet wc h9ld our position
for nearly ak houIs. We were finally
iorcea to fall back, but We did 40 stub.
born y, consesting every inch Of ground.
We Loaf about thifty men. Two OF our
battalion were wounded, ono OF them be.
Ing Sergeant Robert Galbraith, OF our
company. He was but slightly wounded
and hss baen with us ever einco. When
we resched Martinsbnrg wo found the
place deserted by our men, 60 we foil
back to Shopherdstown, and crossed the
river on the morning Of the Fourth OF
July, the glorious Fourth. We stopped
while in the woods just over the hill, to
Iced our horses and to get breakfast. The
Johnnien followed Is 30 closoiy that vhilo
we were eating the bullets every now and
then wero striking tho tops Of the trees.
they firing ifom beyond tho river at our
skifmIah line. '2l'E ~
Remembering that it was The Fourth Of
July the hoys called on me for speech.
Mounting q stump I recalled to their
mtnds The patriotic war meeting NO had
attended, many Of ue, just two years be.
lore. You remember 1t at Beallsyille
when Rev. Charley Smith made bis great
Tnr npoeeh: How patriotic we wese then
But noticed that our patriotism was
now-wall, not quite so Ganguino sc then,
My Fourth oiJuiy Grafton was s!opped by
the call Of "Bootu and saddlel" We went
that day TO Harper's Ferry. We remained
there until day before yeste.dsy. The
rebels tried TO take Maryland Heights,
and wo were fighting every day; but /
Will send you NY diary before long and
you can then geo all about it. think tho
rebel force 10 about $4,000 strong. Day
before yesterday hearing lhat they were
moving on Frederick, our cavalry followed
in their rear. We got hero yesterday
morning, but the rebels hsd taken the
city the duy before, fighting terrible bat.
tie at Monucacy. They drove our forces
away, killing ind wounding about COO Of
them, and taking perhaps the came mum.
Der Of prieoneta. The battle field pre-
a5aled an awful appearance whom yo az.
rived. Ihey LETT all our dead unburied,
sad had stripped them OF all their cloth.
ing, and there, tho poor fellown lay, far
from homo and friends, bereath tie
eeofching rays Of The sun, with no cover
Ing except what some OF the good people
OF Frederick, be it said to their praise,
had covered with such bits Of blanke,s,
DC, 80 tiley could find here and there on
the field. a detail Of fifty men went TO
work immediately, but O great many are
still urburied. A man who iust now
came OF tho field says he counted sixty.
seven in 4 very small spsee. would SUP.
pose that We lost $50 men killed desa.
The citizens here say that the rebels
iost two to our one, but cur men were
oysrp9Sozed and we've forced to retreat,
We ran them away yesterday, Thsy
thought We were Hunters force and thew
were badly scared. I only wish wo had
enough men to follow them. We captured
eighty pr!sonets when We charged into
Frederick yesterday. talked with one
OF thom,. O Georgian, until midnight last
night. He aays thsy had about l7003
men In this Eight while an cure GEN.
Tyler did not have 5000 engaged. Tho
Sixth corps arrived too lste to do .uy
good. They were forced to so back to help
save Washington City as it Is being
Threatened. We are within forty miles Of
Washington City. You need not write to
NE until you Enow where 10 direct, do
not know whether will get to eend this
or not. I will try to do 60 and Hill write
IS often as l can, TI
nm sure do not know WHY the Rebs
were allowed to get awsy, but It slways
happens so. When they. took Frederick
they compelled them to give $4,000 in
money, and 5000 worth Of Incidence to
save the city from being burned. Att
hsyefssoown they threatened 10 burn tho
town unless they g.ve !, 500 quits Of clethee
and $50 GOO in money. They gave both to
hayo the town. They have taken all the
hotaes in the country OF any account.
rhis 10 war. Yours, -
Mess1e. Editors this may not be CT any
interest 10 those rot in the army st that
time, but TO Any who were under Lew
Wallace st the TINA mentioned will doubt.
lcss vouch iof the truth Of itall. You will
notice that tho offensive" words .rebel"
and "tebs" are used. but you muet felnem.
Der that this was written at timo when
We called things by their right names.
Not being vain enough to love to gee my
name to IN article I withhold it, q! least
for the present.
Wheeling, September 9. 1887.
BOB BURDETTE ON TIE FLAG,